High School Hockey: For seniors, Casey Cup a big deal

This weekend at the Great Falls IcePlex has plenty of significance for Sean Morris and two of his teammates.

Morris joins Bryce Krattiger and Tom Johnson in the Great Falls Americans high school hockey team’s senior class.

The trio is participating in its last Terry Casey Cup. Their time with the team – their eligibility ends at the end of the season – is on its final leg. Senior Night was Friday.

“It’s a huge tournament,” said Morris, who scored two goals in his team’s 9-4 loss to the Calgary Mustangs on Friday afternoon. “I feel like anyone that you talk Great Falls hockey with, they’ll tell you about the Casey Cup. I’ve played in it for four years.

“It’s a great experience for me to finally be a senior and be able to have the Senior Night. We got to hang up all the posters for the seniors. They have a little bio on all the seniors and stuff.”

Morris, who fills the center position and leads the Americans in points, has enjoyed his time with Krattiger and Johnson.

“They’ve been huge impacts,” said Morris, the C.M. Russell High senior who played linebacker for the Rustlers. “I’ve played with them for a few years now. The chemistry is really good with them. We’re not on the same line, but those two are out there on the first forward line. They move the puck well. They are huge impacts on the team, and they score goals.”

Said head coach Aaron Quick of Morris: “He is one of the more talented players on the ice, and I expect a lot out of him. I expect a lot out of all our players, but specifically someone who’s leading our team in points and wears on ‘A’ on his chest (assistant captain) and is a senior.”

Luke Wilson notched a goal and an assist in the afternoon loss. Zach Spady also found the back of the net, while Braxton Lorenz and Tom Johnson each handed out an assist.

Wilson, who played last year for the high school team, and Spady, who’s from Bozeman, are both rental players for the short-benched Americans at this week’s 27th annual Terry Casey Cup.

Cam McIntosh did his best between the pipes to keep the game competitive. After the Mustangs jumped out to an 8-3 advantage through the first two periods, the two teams battled to a 1-1 draw in the third. A freshman at Great Falls High, McIntosh registered 30 saves.

“The third period we just came out a lot better,” the net minder said. “We came together as a group.”

McIntosh has shared goalie duties with Colton Rasmussen for the better part of the season. Rasmussen is currently in Colorado, so that means more playing time for the young McIntosh.

“I did fairly all right, I guess,” he said of his performance. “I could have had a couple of those. But if you miss them, you miss them. You have to learn from it.”

The Americans entered their first game of the weekend with a 10-8 record overall, riding an eight-game winning streak. McIntosh thinks they can be one of the better teams in the state if they play together, if they play as a team.

“We started off a little rough, and then we hit a good patch where we’ve just been winning games,” McIntosh said of the season. “This is a little setback, but I think we’ll learn from it and just keep going forward.”

Morris, Krattiger and Johnson have all but a handful of games left before their high school hockey careers conclude. They want to go out on top, but it first starts with bringing a steady effort, start to finish.

“We are just hoping that we can go out and keep all three periods consistent,” Morris said.

Great Falls beat Sidney 7-1 Friday night. Spady tallied a goal and three assists, Morris scored twice and McIntosh stopped 25 of 26 shots. Andrew Davidson, Jake Van Every, Wilson and Johnson each found the back of the net as well. Jamison McLain and Braxton Lorenz had two assists apiece.